Top 5 Destination Cities in Africa 2012

According to the Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index these are the cities most visited in Africa.

1. Cairo (Egypt) – With 3.3 million visitors, an 8.3% increase from 2011. Visitors injected 3 billion dollars into their economy.
2. Johannesburg (South Africa) – With 2.5 million visitors, visitors injected 3.3 billion dollars into their economy.
3. Casablanca (Morocco) - With 2.1 million visitors, visitors injected 1.9 billion into their economy.
4. Nairobi (Kenya) – With 1.8 million visitors, tourists injected a total of 1.5 billion dollars into their economy.
5. Tunis (Tunisia) – With 1.7 million visitors, a 17.7% increase from 2011. Visitors injected 1.3 billion dollars into their economy.

The largest salt pans in the world

The Makgadikgadi pans are the remaining dry beds of the ancient Lake Makgadikgadi that covered most of northern Botswana and covered an area larger than Switzerland. They are the largest salt pans in the world and are split between 2 pans, the Ntwetwe Pan and the Sowa Pan. Activities on the salt pans include game drives, nature walks with the Bushmen, quad biking and appreciating the space and silence. The area is visited by wildlife during the rainy season and has spots of vegetation and water for grazing.

7 Facts about Botswana

1. Botswana currently has a population of just over 2 million people and is the size of U.S state Texas.

2. Botswana is the largest diamond producer in the world.

3. 17% of the country has been set aside as game reserves and parks.

4. The kgotla system is entrenched in Setswana culture and is based on a system of democracy and free speech were every person in attendance has the right to speak their mind.

5. Botswana has  the largest salt pans in the world, the Makgadikgadi Pans.

6. Botswana has the largest Elephant population in Africa.

The Beautiful Lake Malawi

Also known as Lake Nyasa or Lago Niassa in Mozambique, Lake Malawi is an African Great Lake and the southern most lake in the East African Rift System. It’s the 3^rd largest in Africa and the 8^th largest in the world; this lake’s tropical waters are reportedly the habitat of more species of fresh fish than those of any other body of freshwater on Earth. Lake Malawi is one of Malawi’s major tourist attractions because of its beaches and islands. See pictures of the lake and its wild-life in our gallery here.

6 Kacts about Mount Kilamanjaro

1. The Kilamanjaro is the highest free-standing Mountain in the world.
2. The mountain’s structure is composed of three volcanoes, Kibo, Mawenzi & Shira.
3. It supports 5 majour eco-zones: rainforest, heath, moorland, alpine desert and glaciers.
4. Wildlife is encountered throughout the lower parts of the climb; from elephants, buffalo and Eland to monkeys and tropical boubou in the forests.
5. The name Kilamanjaro is thought to caome from the Swahili word Kilma Njaro which means “shining mountain”.
6. Around 15 000 people per annum attempt to climb the mountain annually.

Look at some amazing photos of the mountain in our gallery.